Atua, who was arrested in September alongside 33‑year‑old Fred Oliva Junior Papalii, faces the murder‑conspiracy charge after Australian Federal Police, Vietnamese authorities and Samoan police linked the pair to the May shooting of Lemalu in Ho Chi Minh City, an execution that was filmed and circulated on social media amid a gang war between the Alameddine and Badger networks.
Vietnamese investigators later apprehended two Samoan men, Joseph Vaa and Steve Tafia, who allegedly tracked Lemalu for a week before the killing. The suspects were subsequently brought back to Samoa, where they were found to have worked at a car‑rental firm owned by Atua’s mother.
In late May, Atua spoke to Samoan police but, according to the authorities, lied about his relationship to the hitmen. He was later accused of attempting to bribe an immigration officer at the airport with 500 Samoan tala (about $255) to secure a return to New Zealand. That bribery charge was dismissed after his lawyer, Sydney solicitor Abbas Soukie, successfully lobbied the Samoan attorney‑general, who deemed the evidence insufficient.
Despite the withdrawal of the corruption allegation, the conspiracy‑to‑murder charge remains. Samoan prosecutors plan to lay formal money‑laundering charges against Atua on September 28, adding to the legal pressure he faces.
Atua’s legal team has vowed to contest the murder‑conspiracy allegations, with Soukie stating that the accusations are “completely baseless” and that his client will “vehemently defend” himself in court.
Lemalu, a 24‑year‑old of Samoan heritage, had previously been a high‑ranking member of the Coconut Cartel and was known for his loyalty to the Alameddine street gang Proper 60. His death has intensified a broader crackdown on trans‑national Pacific‑based gang networks, including a recent raid that seized $120 million worth of methamphetamine and targeted the Badger crime group.